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Morocco World
3 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Offers 200 University Scholarships to Niger for 2025-2026
Marrakech – Morocco has strengthened its position as a leading educational hub in Africa and deepened its bilateral cooperation with Niger by offering 200 university scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year. This initiative aims to foster educational exchange and contribute to Niger's development through human capacity building. According to the Nigerien News Agency (ANP), the scholarship program was announced during a meeting of the Niger-Morocco Inter-States committee held from August 4-6, at the headquarters of the Niger Agency for Allocations and Scholarships (ANAB) in Niamey. The scholarship offer includes 150 places for university and technical training and 50 for professional training in fields such as medicine, engineering, sciences, literature, law, economics, and professional training. 'The higher education in Morocco remains a preferred choice, thanks to the quality of training and the welcoming conditions offered to international students,' noted Idé Oumarou Amadou, President of ANAB's Board of Directors, pointing to the growing interest of Nigerien students in Moroccan higher education institutions. The Moroccan delegation, led by Jaafar Debbarh, Chargé d'Affaires at the Moroccan Embassy in Niamey, reaffirmed 'the Kingdom of Morocco's commitment to strengthening bilateral relations in the academic field, in accordance with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, placing human capital at the heart of South-South cooperation.' At the conclusion of the visit on August 6, the Moroccan delegation met with Niger's Minister of Higher Education Mamadou Saidou. Both parties expressed 'their full satisfaction with the quality of exchanges and the spirit of cooperation that prevailed.' This scholarship program continues a long-standing cooperation between Rabat and Niamey that began in 1976. Since its launch in 1990, the Moroccan scholarship program for Niger has enabled more than 2,000 Nigerien students to study in Morocco, with approximately 700 currently pursuing their education here. The bilateral cooperation extends beyond education, covering various sectors including religious training, food security, public health, sustainable agriculture, culture, transportation, civil aviation, hydraulics, energy, security, and counter-terrorism efforts. Morocco's increasing role as an educational destination is powerfully showcased by a recent Campus France report on 'Global Student Mobility,' which shows that Morocco hosted 22,000 foreign students in 2022. This positions it as one of the main host countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, after Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Iran. The report also reveals that Morocco ranks first as a country of origin for foreign students in France, with 43,354 Moroccan nationals representing 10% of the total foreign student population in France for the 2023-2024 academic year. Moroccan students particularly excel in engineering schools, where 'one in five foreign students is Moroccan,' representing 19% of the 32,000 enrolled. Meanwhile, Gabon has recently announced a shift in its scholarship policy, naming Morocco as a preferred destination for its students. Starting from 2025-2026, Gabon will prioritize scholarships for studies in Morocco and other African countries over Western nations, citing both cost efficiency and higher return rates of graduates. According to Gabonese officials, the average cost per student in Morocco is approximately $9,174, significantly lower than costs in Western countries. Read also: China's Tsinghua University Launches First Scholarship Program for Moroccan, Arab Students
Russia Today
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
France using ‘Trojan horse' tactic to destabilize former colony
France is deploying underhanded methods in its attempt to destabilize Niger, the West African nation's minister of the interior, public security, and territorial administration, General Mohamed Toumba, has alleged. The official made the claims in an interview on national television on Saturday, the Nigerien News Agency reported. General Toumba accused the former colonial power of allying with Niger's neighbors to undermine the country, which has been plagued by a deadly jihadist insurgency for years. 'We must be doubly vigilant to contain the situation,' he warned, claiming that France uses 'Trojan horses.' The security chief's remarks are the latest in a string of accusations Niamey has leveled at Paris in recent months. Last month, Nigerien transitional leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani accused France of aiming to cause instability in the landlocked country and the Sahel region by funding terrorist groups in neighboring Nigeria and Benin. Relations between Niger and France have deteriorated since Niamey's July 2023 coup, which sparked anti-French protests across the country. The former French colony followed the lead of its allies, Burkina Faso and Mali, in breaking off defense ties with Paris. The three countries, all ruled by militaries, have cited France's meddling and failure to put an end to the decade-long militant violence in the Sahel as reasons for expelling French troops. Niamey, Bamako, and Ouagadougou have welcomed Russia as a strategic partner and have signed security agreements with Moscow. READ MORE: African nation accuses France of financing terrorists On Tuesday, Nigerien Defense Minister Salifou Mody announced that Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou were preparing to deploy a 'united force' of 5,000 troops to conflict zones in the Sahel region. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Russian representative Vassily Nebenzia expressed Moscow's support for the deployment. Nebenzia criticized former colonial powers for maintaining a military foothold in the region under the guise of fighting terrorism despite their presence being 'no longer welcomed.' READ MORE: How this former French colony is now a 'successful model' for Africa Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the Sahel states for failing to thank France for protecting them from a militant onslaught. He claimed none of the African nations that France had purportedly assisted during its 2013 military operation would have been able to withstand attacks from extremist groups without support. On Saturday, Niger's security minister stated that military cooperation with France 'ended up creating desolation' in the African country. 'These forces did not give a security guarantee. These actors allowed themselves everything. They used subterfuges to avoid reacting,' Gen Toumba stated.
